Toddler push/strider bike to pedal - help dads

I have my 4 year old on the 16" Commencal and my 6 year old on a Specialized P.1 Trail 20".  On dirt- run the tires almost flat- like 5-10 psi.  The disc brakes are a game changer for a kid- they actually work with their weak little hands.

I got both bikes on sale at different times- the 16" has gone through both kids and I expect to sell it for probably $200, I paid $320 or something.  Kids bikes hold value better than adult stuff.  I expect similar for the 20".  

Might have to hide the strider to get to commit to the pedal bike.  

Is he on the taller side?  What about the 14” Strider convertible bike?  Starts out as a push bike and once he gets that down you can bolt on the cranks and it has a coaster brake on there?  Just throwing it out there.  https://shop.striderbikes.com/convertible-bikes/14x-classic/

I had my son run through the gamut of spawn bikes. I'm in Canada so perhaps more common. They are very well thought out and hold their value well. Residuals on kids bikes are better than adults.

I didn't go as far as pulling the cranks off but I did just take the pedals off and zip tie the cranks to the chain stay to begin with. So it wasn't a case of "here's a big frame and I'd also like you to pedal on day 1"

"Might have to hide the strider to get to commit to the pedal bike."

He was super late to actually managing to pedal..like almost a year later than some friends kids.. To the point where I almost fitted training wheels in frustration.  He's now 11....  So hang in there if it doesn't seem to be working.  Kids just develop in their own time....

Photo credit. Summit shots at Sun Peaks 

My only requirement for the first pedal bikes was hand brakes. No reason to learn one braking style, just to relearn on the next bike. Plus getting the pedals re-centered when getting started is easier. At 4 years old, you don't really need disc brakes yet.

One thing I didn't think about much with my first one is that pedaling is not as natural as I thought. Teach pedaling on a tricycle or similar stable ride-on toy. If they don't have a good grasp of pedaling, they just want to use the pedal bike as a strider, and get frustrated quickly because they could have gone faster on the strider.

The other thing was that my first kid learned to ride a pedal bike before she turned 3, but the reality was that she wasn't strong enough to pedal up any incline. She really needed a slight downhill to help get started. So with my second, we waited until he was 4 and had a little more strength to help with the transition.

My kid got proficient on a Strider and then we got him a PW50 motorcycle for Christmas when he was 4. He didn't get a pedal bike until he was 5 and actually had a hard time learning how to pedal. No problems with balance at all, but the actual hard work of pushing the pedals was difficult for him. I just had him start on gentle downhills and stayed patient with him, but it still took a few weeks before he caught on. 

I can't help you with the brands, but probably any "good" bike brand with mechanical discs and a light-ish frame would be perfect. 

Triple that - my son did not have a tricycle and couldn’t pedal at first. Same as others- he could balance the bike fine but wasn’t able to pedal for a while. 

Finally figured it out and was motivated to keep up with other kids since he got dropped on his strider. Haha

Sounds like you're on the right path, but I would try and make the strider as fun as possible for as long as possible, even after they learn to pedal. We did things like mazes in chalk on the driveway or making up games in a parking lot ( safely of course) which helped keep it fun and build confidence. 

I set up my indoor trainer with my youngest's pedal bike and shoved him on it. It wasn't getting used much anyway😉

Yeah hiding the balance bike, a fun thing your child likes??? I’m not gonna tell you how to raise your kids but that’s the start of a cool road to no-contact when they’re 18. Psycho 80s dad vibes.

Another vote for Commencal. Had 4 of them. Good tires, brakes, and geometry. Reasonable quality… could be bettter.

The Guardians I’ve seen are trash. Maybe the work if your parent doesn’t know how to actually ride a bike, but I wouldn’t put my kids on one. 

This. I think if you’re hiding your kids balance bike, someone should tell you how to raise your kids. I made the mistake of pushing my older kid to come trail riding with me when he was 5. He ended walking back to the car and wouldn’t touch his bike for 6 months. Once he started riding again (thanks mom), he’d stop as soon as I saw him and walk his bike back to the garage and go do something else.

You can ensure your kid doesn’t like bike riding by pushing and forcing them.  

My 3 yo had a 12" balance bike, then he started this summer (he was almost 4) with his 12" pedal bike. Then we got the 14" out, then at the end of the summer the 16" for city riding and the 14" for his first MTB trails. 

Once they get the hang of pedaling, it's a matter of having the right size on which they feel comfortable. In Canada, we have Garneau bikes that everyone have so they sell cheap on the used market. The geometry is great, they are sturdy, look like more expensive bikes, etc.  I bought two used bikes (as new) for 50$ each and the 16" is a GT that I got on sale for 200$ cad. I took the drivetrain off the 12" pedal bike so that he could have another balance bike at both mom and dad's house. 

Honestly, the 50$ used bikes are great because they get tossed to the ground and you can upgrade some stuff to make them cooler for your kid (he loves blue so I bought blue grips, seat collar, Vee knobbier tires, mud fender, etc.). The more expensive GT wasn't really worth it, but I guess I'll be able to not lose too much money selling it back afterwards, and it's going to be used for at least another year. I guess the aluminum frame is lighter than the Garneau ones so that's easier for me do bring down the stairs haha.

They all have coaster brakes and I think that they are not ideal. Like another poster noted, that's the only occurence where a coaster brake will be used in their lives, so might as well go straight to hand brakes. One friend told me that the coaster brake was nice to keep it simple at first though, so that's what we'll have right now since all his bikes have coaster brakes. The 20" will have hand brake (when he's around 6 I guess).

Another tip, just look on Marketplace until you find a deal on the right size that fits your needs and grab one if it pops. Kids bikes take less space anyway and sometimes people just sell them for nothing when they get tired to see them unused. When I saw the right size in the right condition come up, I just bought them and stored them. I usually regrease everything and it's going to be good until I sell it back for the same price.

Hope this helps!

I also force them to eat broccoli and go to bed at a reasonable time.  

This is not a bike suggestion but more a suggestion on the transition.

Our 4 year old was amazing on balance bike, had heaps of fun, and also very independent (resistant to outside help?).  Also, pushing kids over and over to help them pedal sucks.

I got a ramp - one of the pre-cut modular ones you can get from various people. Ours is a Jigsaw Jumps version.

I put the ramp up in the yard with a table on one side and our daughter quickly learned to push her bike to top (they’re about 30cm high), mount the bike, and then pedal off. Within two days she’d done so many reps on her own terms she was pedalling great, within a 2 weeks she was good to go for long rides. The ramp gives that little burst of momentum and excitement that really seemed to get our child over the learning hump.